1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple-color tampon printing machine with a tampon carrier member which is rotatable in a step-by-step movement about a first axis. The tampon carrier member supports a plurality of tampons. A carrier member for stereotype plates or bodies is rotatably mounted about a second axis which extends parallel to the first axis. A plurality of stereotype plates are mounted on the stereotype plate carrier member. The stereotype plate carrier member carries out a step-by-step rotating movement synchronously with the tampon carrier member. In addition to the step-by-step rotating movement, the tampon carrier member carries out an up and down lifting movement at predetermined fixed positions of rotation.
2. Description of the Related Art
DE-A-O 195 378 already discloses a single-color tampon printing machine which is equipped with a tampon carrier member which supports several tampons and is rotatable step-by-step about a first axis, and a stereotype plate carrier member which is rotatable about a second axis which extends parallel to the first axis. The stereotype plate carrier member supports several stereotype plates and carries out a step-by-step rotating movement synchronously with the tampon carrier member. In addition to the step-by-step rotating movement, the tampon carrier member carries out a downward and upward lifting movement at predetermined fixed positions of rotation. Accordingly, with the exception that it cannot operate as a multiple-color tampon printing machine, the tampon printing machine of the prior art reference is of the same type as the machine described above.
Known multiple-color tampon printing machines are composed of several single-color tampon printing machines which are arranged next to one another and include a conveying unit which serves to transport the printing material from the first printing machine to the next printing machines. This conveying unit simultaneously serves for indexing, so that the printing materials assume an exact position underneath the respective single-color tampon printing machine and an exact printing fit is achieved.
Other known multiple-color tampon printing systems have several single-color tampon printing machines which are arranged in a circle and a round shifting table placed in the middle between the printing machines, wherein the printing materials are placed on the shifting table with predetermined spacings.
The round shifting table transports the printing materials from one single-color tampon printing machine to the next and indexes the machine in the exact position. For multiple-color printing, these known multiple-color tampon printing machines require as many single-color tampon printing machines as the printed image has colors. For holding the printed material, the tampon printing system requires several printing material holding devices corresponding to the number of cycles of the system. These holding devices are frequently very complicated and must correspond to the printing accuracy. The change over of the machine from one printing material to another, particularly a printing material having a different shape, is very cumbersome and frequently even impossible. Accordingly, such multiple-color tampon printing machines are suitable predominantly for large series of printing materials of the same type.
In printing units with three axes, an ink transfer tampon is guided in a horizontal plane from the stereotype plate to the printing material, and is lowered in vertical direction in order to pick up ink from the stationary stereotype plate, wherein each stereotype plate is provided for one color. The ink transfer tampon is guided from the stereotype plate to the printing material, is lowered and, thus, the ink is printed from the tampon onto the printing material. Consequently, a multiple-color print is produced with an ink transfer tampon in the sequence of first stereotype plate to printing material, second stereotype plate to printing material, etc.
Such printing units having three axes are very complicated and are suitable only to a limited extent for small printing materials.